Baked Rooster Thighs are extremely straightforward and household pleasant. Attempt my #1 secret for baking the perfect, juiciest rooster thighs of your life!

The primary factor you must learn about bone-in, skin-on Baked Rooster Thighs is that my household SMASHES them anytime I serve them for dinner.

Plates are licked clear, complaints are non-existent, plus they require 5 minutes of prep time and bake hands-off within the oven which I after all love.

This straightforward baked rooster recipe is the unicorn of rooster dinners!

Watch Make Them

Elements Wanted

I really like this meal as a result of it’s SO SIMPLE. Apart from the rooster thighs, all you want are a handful of on a regular basis, pantry staples.

• Bone-in, skin-on rooster thighs: are a cost-effective and flavorful lower of rooster that’s very onerous to overcook (extra on that under).
• Seasoning combine: a easy mix of dried herbs and spices takes seconds to combine collectively and provides a ton of taste. You’ll want salt, pepper, each onion and garlic powders, paprika, and Italian seasoning. Add a splash of cayenne pepper for just a little warmth.
• Additional virgin olive oil: helps the seasoning combine adhere to the rooster thighs, and will get the pores and skin golden brown and crispy.

Why You’ll Love Straightforward Baked Rooster Thighs

1. Household pleasant. My youngsters (5, 7, 10), husband, and I all love this dish. It’s certainly one of a handful of recipes that each one 5 of us can fortunately eat with zero modifications.
2. Economical. Final week a pound of rooster breasts was promoting for $8.99 on the grocery retailer. Yikes! Proper now, skin-on, bone-in rooster thighs are promoting for $1.75/lb. A lot financial savings.
3. Scrumptious. In the event you’ve already accepted bone-in, skin-on rooster thighs into your life then you definitely how extremely scrumptious and juicy they’re. Few issues beat the combo of crispy, scorching pores and skin and juicy, tender meat.
4. Palms off. When you ship the rooster thighs off to the oven to bake, that’s it! There’s no have to flip the thighs or rotate the baking pan whereas they roast.
5. Idiot proof. Whereas rooster breasts can change into overcooked rapidly and simply, it’s very tough to overcook rooster thighs. Which brings me to…

My #1 Secret for Juicy and Tender Rooster Thighs

Overcook them.

Sure! Darkish meat turns into extra tender the longer it cooks as a result of it has extra connective tissue than chicken. The connective tissues break down the warmer the inner temperature turns into which renders the rooster thighs juicy, moist, and tender.

LOOK AT THIS GOODNESS!!

Baking Temperature and Timing

Whereas rooster thighs solely have to be cooked to an inner temperature of 165 levels as learn by a meat thermometer, I like to recommend you bake them till they attain 180 – 190 levels. This takes 30-40 minutes at 400 levels. We swear by this Thermapen for taking correct inner temperature readings.

Actually I’ve pulled the rooster thighs out of the oven at 200+ levels every now and then they usually’re nonetheless so scrumptious and tender.

In the event you’re the kind of individual that will get nervous about undercooking rooster, then rooster thigh recipes are positively for you.

What to Serve with Baked Rooster Thighs

Baked Rooster Thighs lend themselves extraordinarily effectively to the Midwestern “meat + veggie + starch” dinner trifecta. Because the oven is already on at 400 levels, I sometimes serve the rooster thighs with a roasted vegetable or contemporary salad plus some form of potato.

Listed here are some extra aspect dish concepts to assist spherical out the meal:

Alright, let’s get this straightforward rooster dinner recipe on the desk!

Make Baked Rooster Thighs

Step 1: Pat the rooster thighs dry.

Begin by trimming the rooster thighs of any extra pores and skin then pat them very dry on either side with paper towels.

Step 2: Place rooster thighs in a baking dish.

Switch the rooster thighs right into a 9×13″ or similar-sized baking dish. They are often touching however not overlapping.

Step 3: Mix the seasoning combine.

Subsequent, in a small bowl stir collectively salt, black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, and Italian seasoning. Be at liberty to make use of your favourite seasoning combine, or just salt and pepper which can be very scrumptious.

Step 4: Drizzle the thighs with further virgin olive oil.

Now drizzle further virgin olive oil over the tops of the rooster thighs. Rooster pores and skin may be very fatty, so that you simply want just a little bit to assist the seasoning adhere to the pores and skin.

Step 5: Sprinkle on the seasoning combine.

Sprinkle the seasoning combine excessive then use your palms to evenly coat the fronts, backs, and sides of the rooster thighs with oil and seasonings.

Step 6: Bake.

Pop the baking dish right into a preheated, 400 diploma oven then bake for 30-40 minutes or till the thickest a part of the rooster thigh reaches an inner temperature of 180-190 levels.

Once more, the rooster is technically cooked by way of and fit for human consumption at 165 levels, however we’re tacking on further baking time to render the thighs extraordinarily tender and juicy.

There isn’t any have to rotate the pan or flip the rooster thighs at any level throughout the baking course of.

Let the rooster thighs relaxation within the baking pan for no less than 10 minutes then serve ’em on up! Wasn’t that straightforward?

Baked Rooster Thighs FAQ

Is it higher to bake rooster thighs at 350 or 400 levels? 

• I like to recommend baking the rooster thighs at 400 levels for much less time to make sure the rooster thighs keep good and juicy, vs baking for longer at 350 levels and working the chance of drying them out.

What’s the baking time for rooster thighs? 

• Bake bone-in, skin-on rooster thighs for 30-40 minutes. Boneless skinless rooster thighs will want about 10 much less minutes to bake.

What temperature does a rooster thigh have to be cooked to? 

• Technically rooster thighs solely have to be cooked to an inner temperature of 165 levels, although I like to recommend you bake them to 180-190 for very tender rooster thighs.

Can I freeze baked rooster thighs?

• I like to recommend eradicating the meat from the bones then freezing the meat flat in a Ziplock freezer bag, vs freezing your complete baked thigh with the pores and skin and meat nonetheless on the bone.

I hope you’ll give these juicy, greatest ever oven-baked rooster thighs a strive for dinner tonight then let me know what you suppose! Take pleasure in!

Extra Irresistible Rooster Recipes

Greatest Baked Rooster Thighs

Description

Baked Rooster Thighs are extremely straightforward and household pleasant. Attempt my #1 secret for baking the perfect, juiciest rooster thighs of your life!

Elements

• 3 — 4lbs bone-in, skin-on rooster thighs (7-8 thighs)
• 1 Tablespoon further virgin olive oil
• For the seasoning combine:
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon Italian Seasoning

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 levels then get out a 9×13″ baking pan and put aside.
2. Take away the rooster thighs from their packaging then trim off extra pores and skin if vital. Pat very dry with paper towels then place the thighs contained in the baking pan.
3. To a small bowl add the substances for the seasoning combine then stir to mix. Drizzle the tops of the rooster thighs with the additional virgin olive oil then sprinkle on the seasoning combine. Use your palms to rub the oil and seasonings all around the fronts and backs of the thighs.
4. Bake for 30-40 minutes or till the thickest a part of the rooster thighs attain an inner temperature of 180-190 levels. Be aware: rooster thighs solely want to achieve an inner temperature of 165 levels, however they are much extra tender once they’re cooked to a better inner temperature. Briefly boil if desired to additional crisp up the pores and skin then let the rooster thighs relaxation for 10 minutes earlier than serving.

Notes

• Be at liberty to make use of your favourite seasoning combine, or just salt and pepper, which can be scrumptious!

This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Woman Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.

Images by Ashley McLaughlin